Author: Ann Braden
Published: 2018 Zoey doesn't have time in her life to be a regular seventh-grader. When she gets home from school, she has to pick up her baby brother from her mom's workplace, and then she has to pick up her other brother and sister from the bus stop. When she gets home, she is in charge of taking care of them and putting them to bed. Her mom works, and her mom's boyfriend doesn't want much to do with the kids. Ever since her mom started dating Lenny, they have lived with him in a nice, clean trailer. This is a blessing compared to where they have lived in the past. But there is something wrong with Zoey's mom and Lenny's relationship. Lenny doesn't hit her mom, but he certainly isn't very nice to her all the time. When Zoey brings this up, her mom shuts it down immediately; she doesn't want to hear it. She just wants Zoey to be thankful for their living situation. Zoey is known at school for not doing her homework or turning anything in. She doesn't really have any friends, besides a girl named Fuchsia, who is dealing with a lot of her own issues. When a teacher at school tells Zoey she should be on the debate team, she is completely surprised. Why would a teacher want someone like her on a school team? Zoey needs to decide if she can speak up for herself at school and at home. The Benefits of Being an Octopus is a sweet book about a character you just want to hug in real life. I love Zoey; I love how strong she is. This book is great for readers who liked Paper Things by Jennifer Richard Jacobson or Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate.
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Author: Brittney Morris
Published: 2019 Kiera and her sister are some of the very few Black students who attend their high school, along with Kiera's boyfriend Malcolm. Kiera, who loves gaming, was tired of being harassed on video games, being called racist names, and not having many options to play as Black characters. She decided to create her own multiplayer online role-playing game called SLAY. It is created specifically for Black people and is extremely successful. No one Kiera knows in her life knows she is the one behind this. To everyone on SLAY, she is a character called Emerald. Kiera decided to keep this part of her life a secret. She doesn't want her boyfriend, Malcolm, to know because he would think it is a waste of time, that video games are a way to keep Black people from becoming their best selves. When someone who plays SLAY is killed in real life over something in the game, suddenly SLAY is in the news. People are calling the game violent and racist because it was created only for Black people. Kiera is heartbroken that something she created ultimately led to the death of a human being, but she is also horrified that people who have never even seen the game are now labeling it as racist and violent. When there are talks in the news of the SLAY game developer being sued, Kiera realizes she just might lose everything. Slay is an absolutely fantastic book about racism and gaming. If you are a gamer who also loves social justice, this is an absolute must-read for you! Author: Nic Stone
Published: 2020 Scoob has just gotten in trouble at school, so his spring break plans are now ruined after his dad punishes him. When his grandma contacts him and asks if he wants to go on an adventure with her, he says yes thinking that his dad can't get mad because he's with his grandma. He leaves his dad a note and leaves his phone on the counter, wanting to avoid angry phone calls from his dad, and sets out with his grandma with no idea where they're going. Shortly after their trip gets started, Scoob's grandma tells him that she and his grandpa had planned on going on this trip fifty-one years ago, but they couldn't finish. This trip is her chance to finish what they started--traveling all the way from Alabama to Mexico. She gets out this book called Travelers' Green Book: For Vacation Without Aggravation and tells Scoob that they had to use the book fifty-one years ago. It is a book written for black people telling them places to avoid if they wanted to stay safe while traveling. Scoob's grandma is white, but his grandpa was black. Couples like them faced a lot of prejudice back then. As the days go on, Scoob starts to worry about his grandma. She starts doing really strange things. She isn't answering any of his dad's calls, and she starts calling him by the wrong name. She then starts revealing secrets about his grandpa that not even Scoob's dad knew. Scoob starts to worry that something bad is going to happen. Clean Getaway is a great story about a boy who is learning about the horrible discrimination black people faced not that long ago. It is a good book about family and forgiveness. Author: Dhonielle Clayton
Published: 2018 In the world of Orleans, all people are born ugly, gray creatures with red eyes; these creatures are called Gris. The Belles are born beautiful. They exist to transform the Gris to make them beautiful. People can pay the Belles to work on them. These procedures are very painful and the changes only last a month, meaning that the wealthy have more access to beauty than anyone else. Camellia and her sisters are Belles. They are old enough now that they have finished their training and are going to be assigned their positions. All of them want to be assigned as the Favorite, the Belle who lives with the royal family and works for them. Camellia begins her job as a Belle and learns that it isn't everything she expected it to be; parents bring in their children forcing them to go through these painful procedures to be beautiful. Eventually Camellia finds herself with the royal family where she begins to learn more about what it means to be a Belle and also starts to uncover the very dark secrets the royal family is keeping. The Belles is a fantastic book that I could not put down! It was the perfect combination ofThe Uglies, The Hunger Games, and The Selection series. Absolutely perfect book for anyone who has enjoyed those books. |
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